Page 3 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

Riley

ONE YEAR LATER

“ M y birthday is like three months away, why are you asking me this now?” I laughed, sliding off my bed.

The soft carpet hit the bottom of my bare feet as I padded over to my desk.

A scoff came from behind me. “Besides, we just celebrated your birthday.” That was last week, which also happened to be the last week before spring break for the unified community college I got accepted to at the last minute.

“You had class on my birthday, but we got to spend the entire night in bed together, so I’ll forgive you,” River teased.

“But aren’t you happy I was well prepared and had everything fucking perfect for your last birthday?

” he asked, with a tone that came off like he knew the answer, but he just liked hearing me say it out loud.

He had been well prepared, but that didn’t mean he was well liked.

Scratch that…he was well liked by everyone but Marianne.

The minute I had told her we had been talking, she nearly popped a blood vessel in her head.

When I’d told her I’d agreed to a date, I thought she would combust right then and there.

“RIVER ST. JAMES! You’re actually going on a date with him?” Marianne screeched as she pushed open my bedroom door.

I stumbled out of my closet, the dress I had decided to wear not fully pulled down my legs. “Well hello to you too.”

She pointed her finger at me. “When you told me that you guys were just talking, I thought it was just some mindless flirting. He’s hot, I get it. I just don’t want you to get into some hot guy mess that you can’t get out of.”

“He’s been nothing but polite since we started talking.”

“Oh right, cause having you pinned against a wall was just the politest meet cute.”

I stared at her, not really interested in having the same conversation in person that we’d had over text.

She only knew about River due to her college tour of Mystic Riegan during the summer of our junior year and apparently, she had overheard some things she didn’t like.

“You’ve really yet to explain to me how he’s so bad.

Is he a womanizer? Does he do drugs? Does he have a violent history? ”

Marianne sat on the edge of my bed. “No, it’s that power of his. It gives total invasion of privacy and lazy behavior when it comes to dating. You were pissed at him for doing it in the first place, or have you forgotten?”

I walked over to my floor-length mirror, examining my outfit. She narrowed her dark brown eyes at me as if she was waiting for a response. “He apologized for that. If he does it again, he’s out. Hot or not, he knows where I stand.” I raised one of my eyebrows, turning to look at her. “Lazy dating?”

“Come on, Riley. The guy doesn’t have to try.

He knows everything. He has no need to work for it if all he has to do is get into your head and boom!

Every single detail right there. It’s like taking a test you already have all the answers to and being fake surprised when you pass.

Studying isn’t required for people like him. ”

I huffed. “You are a little insufferable, you know that?”

“I care about you. And until he proves himself, he’s less than worthy.” Her face softened as she pushed off my bed, walking over to me. Her eyes glanced over my outfit. She scrunched her mouth to one side, tilting her head sideways.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I stuck my tongue out at her.

She went over to my closet, grabbing a jacket off a hanger and quickly ripping the one I was preparing to put on out of my grasp. “Wear this one. One thing though, keep your legs closed, and don’t sleep with him tonigh-….”

“How’s my babygirl doing?” Marianne jumped at the sound of my dad’s voice.

I gave her a warning look before giving him my full attention.

He’d asked me way too many questions about my date, but backed off when my mom told him that I would be home before eleven and would text them when I got to the restaurant.

I’d been on plenty of dates before, but this was the first time I was going out with someone who attended the university my dad worked at.

It practically stunned me when my dad knew exactly who River was; it probably shouldn’t have surprised me, given that River’s dad was the Dean of Mental Magic and his older brother, Asher, was a professor for the same department.

“All good here.” I awkwardly twirled in a circle as if showing my dad that the fact that I’d gotten dressed meant my stomach wasn’t flipping from nerves.

He looked as if he was holding back a laugh. “Well, you look beautiful. That boy better recognize that.” Marianne nodded, agreeing with him.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “He is going to be here soon, so can I finish getting ready?” I moved past Marianne, but my dad caught my arm before I could get past him as well.

“You have a good time tonight. And I promise I’ll be nice.

” He smoothed his hand down my braids, giving me a warm smile that always put me at ease.

“Well, nice enough.” I gave him a small smile, looking into his brown eyes that had tiny lines forming at the corners.

I favored my mom more when it came to looks, but I had a special kind of relationship with my dad that was something I could never put into words.

He did almost run over my last boyfriend for breaking up with me through a social media app, so for that he was the best dad in the world.

“Thanks Dad.” I kissed him gently on the cheek.

Little did I know that River would show up on a motorcycle and I would have to awkwardly situate myself on the back of his bike in my dress.

I shook my head as I looked over my unusually messy desk.

Normally, it would be clean enough to eat off of, but the amount of time River had spent at my house and then how much time I’d spent at his house he shared with his brother had cleaning falling to the low end of my priorities.

I smiled to myself when I found what I was searching for, hiding it behind my back when I turned to face him.

He was stretched out on my bed, looking right at home. He had both his hands behind his head and the most charming grin on his face, showcasing that dimple that made my stomach flip. The sunlight from my window made the colors of the tattoos that covered his arms more vibrant than usual.

I sauntered over to him, propping myself up on my bed with my knees. “Fine, we can talk all about my birthday, but…” I handed him what I was keeping hidden, earning me scrunched eyebrows as he looked at it.

“A book?”

“You promised me that you would start reading more books that I like. Actually, you promised me that you would start reading generally.” I shoved the book at him. He pushed himself up so that his back was parallel to my headboard. River grabbed the book from my hands, examining the cover.

“Alright, gorgeous. What’s it about?”

I bent over so I could collect my braids together, pulling the hair tie off my wrist and securing them at the top of my head. “It’s the first in a series. A witch has a human boyfriend, who is awful to her, so she ends up seducing and sleeping with his dad.”

River pressed his lips together, but his green eyes glittered with just a hint of intrigue. He flipped over the book, reading the back. “I mean a girls got to do, what a girls got to do. I might know some witches that would use this as a self-help book.”

I waggled my eyebrows as I sat down next to him, watching as he flipped through the first few pages. “Also, his dad’s like a super hot demon.”

My boyfriend tapped my gold hoop nose ring with his finger. “You don’t have to sell me on it, I’ll read it.”

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He turned his head and captured my lips, leaving the book on the bed so he could cup my face with his large hands. He angled his body closer to me, kicking his leg over mine so that he was straddling me. I looked up at him, settling into my pillow.

He kissed my lips again, softly, the kisses descending to my neck and collarbone, while his hands found their way to the hem of my shirt. “Can we talk about birthday things now?”

I giggled. “I’m turning twenty, not twenty-one. It’s not something to really be all that eager to celebrate.”

He licked a line up my neck and brought his lips to my ear. “Not true. You’ll be officially out of the ages that end with ‘teen’. It’s a moment to remember, gorgeous.”

“I think you just like spoiling me.” My words came out breathy when he dragged his hand up and grabbed my breast. I felt his chuckle against my throat, his warm breath dusting over my skin.

Over the year that we’d been together, he’d only slipped up once when it came to reading my mind, and he’d had to grovel his way back so that I could trust him again.

His power was a part of him and a learned behavior, but for some reason, I was worth keeping it in check over.

I looked over the restaurant, my eyebrows raising at how nice it was.

It was over the top fancy and in a part of town that I knew I couldn’t afford with my tutoring money.

The interior was cherry wood, large mirrors adorned the walls, while elegant sconces created light that gave the space an intimate atmosphere.

River had given the hostess his name and she’d walked us to a table near the back of the restaurant.

She placed our menus down, letting us know that bread would be coming out soon. River had quickly pulled my chair out, waiting until I was comfortably seated on the plush velvet cushion, before pushing it back in.

“I would have been fine with that diner that’s near my house.

” I pointed out, lightly grazing my fingers over the white tablecloth.

I looked to my left, noticing a man focusing on a fork he had floating in midair with a piece of steak on it.

He let the fork move over to his date, who had her mouth slightly open so he could feed her.